Microsoft Access 2010 Step by Step pot

If You Are Upgrading from Access 2003 Access 2010 builds on Access 2007, which introduced a long list of new and improved features that made it easier than ever to create databases to tr

Microsoft® Access® 2010

Step by Step

Joyce Cox Joan Lambert

A Division of Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way

Redmond, Washington 98052-6399

Copyright © 2010 by Online Training Solutions, Inc.

All rights reserved No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

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iii

What do you think of this book? We want to hear from you! Microsoft is interested in hearing your feedback so we can continually improve our books and learning resources for you To participate in a brief online survey, please visit: microsoft.com/learning/booksurvey Contents Introducing Microsoft Access 2010 ix

Modifying the Display of the Ribbon xv

Features and Conventions of This Book xxi

Using the Practice Files xxiii

Getting Help xxv

Part 1 Simple Database Techniques 1 Explore an Access 2010 Database 3 Working in Access 2010 4

Sidebar: Enabling Macros and Other Database Content 14

Understanding Database Concepts 16

Exploring Tables 17

Sidebar: Tabbed Pages vs Overlapping Windows 22

Exploring Forms 24

Exploring Queries 29

Exploring Reports 33

Previewing and Printing Access Objects 38

Key Points 43

2 Create Databases and Simple Tables 45 Creating Databases from Templates 46

Sidebar: Web Databases 51

Creating Databases and Tables Manually 52

Sidebar: Database Design .60

Manipulating Table Columns and Rows 61

Refining Table Structure 64

Creating Relationships Between Tables 69

Key Points 75

3 Create Simple Forms 77

Creating Forms by Using the Form Tool 78

Changing the Look of Forms 85

Changing the Arrangement of Forms 93

Key Points 99

4 Display Data 101 Sorting Information in Tables 102

Sidebar: How Access Sorts 106

Filtering Information in Tables .107

Filtering Information by Using Forms 111

Sidebar: Wildcards .115

Locating Information That Matches Multiple Criteria 115

Sidebar: Saving Filters as Queries 119

Key Points 119

5 Create Simple Reports 121 Creating Reports by Using a Wizard 122

Modifying Report Design .129

Previewing and Printing Reports 136

Key Points 139

Part 2 Relational Database Techniques 6 Maintain Data Integrity 143 Restricting the Type of Data 144

Restricting the Amount of Data 149

Restricting the Format of Data 151

Sidebar: Creating Custom Formats 158

Restricting Data by Using Validation Rules 159

Sidebar: Simple Validation Tests 166

Contents v

Restricting Data to Values in Lists .167

Sidebar: Multicolumn Lookup Lists .171

Restricting Data to Values in Other Tables 172

Sidebar: Multivalued Fields 177

Key Points 177

7 Create Custom Forms 179 Modifying Forms Created by Using a Wizard .180

Adding Controls .187

Adding Subforms .196

Sidebar: Different Types of Forms .204

Using E-Mail Forms to Collect Data 205

Key Points 207

8 Create Queries 209 Creating Queries by Using a Wizard 210

Creating Queries Manually 216

Using Queries to Summarize Data 221

Using Queries to Perform Calculations 224

Using Queries to Update Records .231

Using Queries to Delete Records 235

Key Points 239

9 Create Custom Reports 241 Creating Reports Manually 242

Modifying Report Content .247

Sidebar: Adding Hyperlinks, Charts, and Buttons 253

Adding Subreports 254

Sidebar: Layouts .260

Key Points 261

Part 3 Database Management and Security

Importing Information 266

Importing from Other Access Databases .267

Importing from Excel Worksheets 268

Importing from Text Files 268

Importing from Other Database Programs .269

Importing from Outlook Folders .269

Importing from SharePoint Lists 269

Importing from HTML Files 271

Importing from XML Files 272

Sidebar: Linking to Information .281

Exporting Information 282

Exporting to Other Access Databases 283

Exporting to Excel Worksheets 283

Exporting to Word Documents 283

Exporting to Text Files .284

Exporting to PDF and XPS Files .284

Exporting to SharePoint Lists .285

Exporting to HTML Files 285

Exporting to XML Files 285

Copying to and from Other Office Programs .292

Key Points 295

11 Make Databases User Friendly 297 Creating Navigation Forms 298

Creating Custom Categories 305

Controlling Which Features Are Available .309

Key Points 313

Contents vii

12 Protect Databases 315 Assigning Passwords to Databases 316

Splitting Databases 320

Securing Databases for Distribution .323

Sidebar: Packaging and Signing Databases .326

Preventing Database Problems 328

Key Points 333

13 Customize Access 335 Changing Default Program Options .336

Sidebar: Using Add-Ins 345

Customizing the Ribbon .346

Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar 351

Key Points 355

Glossary 357

Keyboard Shortcuts 363

Index 393

About the Authors 415

What do you think of this book? We want to hear from you!

Microsoft is interested in hearing your feedback so we can continually improve our books and learning resources for you To participate in a brief online survey, please visit:

microsoft.com/learning/booksurvey

ix

Introducing Microsoft Access 2010

Microsoft Access 2010 is a powerful relational database program that includes hundreds

of tools you can use to quickly start tracking, sharing, and reporting information, even

if you are new to database development Users have access to a large library of sionally designed templates; wizards that automatically create tables, forms, queries, and reports; and extensive local and online help resources

profes-Access supports sharing data with other sources, including other Microsoft Office 2010 programs, Microsoft SQL Server, Windows SharePoint Services, and documents in XML, HTML, XPS, and PDF formats Advanced features allow you to create sophisticated executable database applications that your employees and customers can use to gather and view data without needing to know anything at all about database design or development

This book gives you straightforward instructions for using Access to create databases

It takes you from knowing little or nothing about Access—or, for that matter, about databases—to a level of expertise that will enable you to create complex databases for use by one person or by many people

New Features

If you’re upgrading to Access 2010 from a previous version, you’re probably more interested in the differences between the old and new versions and how they will affect you than you are in the basic functionality of Access To help you identify the entire scope of changes from the version of Access you’re familiar with, we’ve listed here the new features introduced in Access 2010, as well as in Access 2007

If You Are Upgrading from Access 2007

If you have been using Access 2007, you might be wondering how Microsoft could have improved on what seemed like a pretty comprehensive set of features and tools In addition

to enhancing many of the new features introduced with Access 2007, Access 2010 includes the following new features:

● The Backstage view Finally, all the tools you need to work with your files, as opposed

to their content, really are accessible from one location You display the Backstage view by clicking the File tab, which replaces the Microsoft Office Button at the left end of the ribbon

● Customizable ribbon The logical next step in the evolution of the command

center introduced with Access 2007: Create your own tabs and groups to suit the way you work

● Unifying themes Adding pizzazz to database objects such as forms and reports is

just a matter of applying a professional-looking theme from a gallery of options

● Web capabilities Companies that have employees and clients in different geographic

locations can publish databases to Access Services, thereby making those databases accessible over the Internet in a Web browser

● Navigation forms Offering the sophisticated browsing techniques people are

accus-tomed to using on Web sites, these new forms provide an essential navigation tool for Web databases, and can also increase the usability of non-Web databases

● New database templates Getting started with the creation of common types of

databases has never been easier The databases that come with Access are mented by those made available by a community of database developers through Microsoft Office Online

supple-● Application parts You can now add predefined database objects to an existing

database In addition to 10 types of forms, several Quick Start parts are available

For example, adding the Contacts part adds one table and associated queries, forms, and reports

● Enhanced Layout view and layout controls It is now easier to make design changes

in Layout view while actively viewing the underlying data

● Enhanced Expression Builder The layout of the Expression Builder dialog box has

been refined to make building an expression more intuitive In addition, a feature

called IntelliSense has been incorporated to display options based on what you

type and to provide syntax guidance

Introducing Microsoft Access 2010 xi

● Improved conditional formatting You can now use data bars to add at-a-glance

insight into the data in Number fields

● Ability to export to PDF and XPS files When you want to make a report or other

database object available to people but don’t want them to be able to manipulate

it, you can export the object in either PDF or XPS format You can optimize the file size for printing or publishing online

If You Are Upgrading from Access 2003

Access 2010 builds on Access 2007, which introduced a long list of new and improved features that made it easier than ever to create databases to track, share, manage, and audit information, including the following:

● The ribbon The new user interface organizes the most common commands for

any database object into tabs and groups so that the appropriate commands are immediately accessible for the current object

● Quick Access Toolbar Customize a portion of the toolbar to include commands

you regularly use, regardless of which object is currently active

● Navigation pane The customizable Navigation pane replaces the Database window

from Access 2003 You can display or hide all tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules, or create a custom group that displays only the objects you want to work with at the moment You can even hide the Navigation pane to make more room on the screen for your database object

● View Shortcuts toolbar This context-sensitive toolbar at the lower-right corner of

the program window provides single-click switching among the supported views

of the current database object Quickly switch between Datasheet view, Design view, PivotTable view, PivotChart view, Form view, Layout view, Report view, and other views appropriate to the current object

● Tabbed documents Open multiple database objects and switch between them

quickly by clicking tabs on a tab bar

● Template library Quickly locate and download professionally designed templates

for common database projects

● Improved sorting and filtering Easily sort all records in a table based on one or

more fields, or filter a table or form to display or hide records matching multiple criteria

● Layout view Redesign a form or report while viewing it.

● Stacked and Tabular layouts Group controls in a form or report layout so you

can easily manipulate the entire group as one unit

● Automatic calendar The Date/Time data type includes an optional calendar

control Click the calendar, and select the date you want

● Rich Text Memo fields now support most common formatting options, including

fonts, color, and character formatting The formatting is stored with the database

● Create tab Quickly create a new table, form, query, report, macro, SharePoint list,

or other Access object

● Totals function Add a totals row to a query, and select from a list of formulas to

automatically calculate aggregate values for forms and reports

● Field List Drag and drop fields from one or more related or unrelated tables onto

your active table

● Attachment data type Attach photos and other files to a database record.

● Embedded macros Macros embedded in a form or report offer a higher level

of security in database applications

● Microsoft Access Help Easily search end-user and developer help content from

within Access

● Improved information sharing Easily import and export data between Access and

other Office applications or XML, HTML, PDF, and dBase files; collect information through e-mail surveys in Microsoft Office Outlook and automatically update your database with the responses; create or link a database with a SharePoint list; or pub-lish your database to a SharePoint library and allow users to update and extract information

● Improved report design Quickly create a professional-looking report, complete with

logo, header, and footer; and use Report view, combined with filters, to browse only selected records in the report

● Group, Sort, and Total pane This feature makes it much easier to group and sort

data in reports, and add totals from a drop-down list

● Enhanced security Adding password protection to a database now causes Access

to automatically encrypt the database when it closes, and decrypt it when it opens

Introducing Microsoft Access 2010 xiii

Let's Get Started!

There are so many new and improved features to this already feature-rich program that there are bound to be some exciting discoveries for even the most advanced users

If you are new to Access, you will find many automated features that let you painlessly create databases and add queries, forms, and professional-looking reports to track and share your data We look forward to showing you around Microsoft Access 2010

xv

Modifying the Display of the Ribbon

The goal of the Microsoft Office 2010 working environment is to make working with Office files—including Microsoft Word documents, Excel workbooks, PowerPoint presentations, Outlook e-mail messages, and Access databases—as intuitive as possible You work with

an Office file and its contents by giving commands to the program in which the ment is open All Office 2010 programs organize commands on a horizontal bar called

docu-the ribbon, which appears across docu-the top of each program window whedocu-ther or not docu-there

is an active document

A typical program window ribbon.

Commands are organized on task-specific tabs of the ribbon, and in feature-specific groups on each tab Commands generally take the form of buttons and lists Some appear

in galleries in which you can choose from among multiple options Some groups have related dialog boxes or task panes that contain additional commands

Throughout this book, we discuss the commands and ribbon elements associated with the program feature being discussed In this section, we discuss the general appearance

of the ribbon, things that affect its appearance, and ways of locating commands that aren’t visible on compact views of the ribbon

See Also For detailed information about the ribbon in Microsoft Access, see “Working

in Access 2010” in Chapter 1, “Explore an Access 2010 Database.”

Tip Some older commands no longer appear on the ribbon, but are still available in the program You can make these commands available by adding them to the Quick Access Toolbar For more information, see “Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar” in Chapter 13,

“Customize Access.”

Dynamic Ribbon Elements

The ribbon is dynamic, meaning that the appearance of commands on the ribbon changes as the width of the ribbon changes A command might be displayed on the ribbon in the form of a large button, a small button, a small labeled button, or a list entry As the width of the ribbon decreases, the size, shape, and presence of buttons

on the ribbon adapt to the available space

For example, when sufficient horizontal space is available, the buttons on the Review tab of the Word program window are spread out and you’re able to see more of the commands available in each group

Drop-down list Small labeled button Large button

The Review tab of the Word program window at 1024 pixels wide.

If you decrease the width of the ribbon, small button labels disappear and entire groups

of buttons are hidden under one button that represents the group Click the group button

to display a list of the commands available in that group

The Review tab of the Word program window at 675 pixels wide.

Modifying the Display of the Ribbon xvii

When the window becomes too narrow to display all the groups, a scroll arrow appears

at its right end Click the scroll arrow to display hidden groups

Scroll arrow

The Review tab of the Word program window at 340 pixels wide.

Changing the Width of the Ribbon

The width of the ribbon is dependent on the horizontal space available to it, which depends on these three factors:

● The width of the program window Maximizing the program window provides

the most space for ribbon elements You can resize the program window by clicking the button in its upper-right corner or by dragging the border of a non-maximized window

On a computer running Windows 7, you can maximize the program window by dragging its title bar to the top of the screen

● Your screen resolution Screen resolution is the amount of information your screen

displays, expressed as pixels wide by pixels high The greater the screen resolution, the

greater the amount of information that will fit on one screen Your screen resolution options are dependent on your monitor At the time of writing, possible screen reso-lutions range from 800 × 600 to 2048 × 1152 In the case of the ribbon, the greater the number of pixels wide (the first number), the greater the number of buttons that can be shown on the ribbon, and the larger those buttons can be

On a computer running Windows 7, you can change your screen resolution from the Screen Resolution window of Control Panel.

You set the resolution by dragging the pointer on the slider.

● The density of your screen display You might not be aware that you can change the

magnification of everything that appears on your screen by changing the screen mag- nification setting in Windows Setting your screen magnification to 125% makes text and user interface elements larger on screen This increases the legibility of informa-tion, but it means that less information fits onto each screen

On a computer running Windows 7, you can change the screen magnification from the Display window of Control Panel

See Also For more information about display settings, refer to Windows 7 Step by Step (Microsoft Press, 2009), Windows Vista Step by Step (Microsoft Press, 2006), or Windows

XP Step by Step (Microsoft Press, 2002) by Joan Lambert Preppernau and Joyce Cox.

Modifying the Display of the Ribbon xix

You can choose one of the standard display magnification options or create another by setting

a custom text size.

The screen magnification is directly related to the density of the text elements on screen, which is expressed in dots per inch (dpi) or points per inch (ppi) (The terms are interchangeable, and in fact are both used in the Windows dialog box in which you change the setting.) The greater the dpi, the larger the text and user interface elements appear on screen By default, Windows displays text and screen elements

at 96 dpi Choosing the Medium - 125% display setting changes the dpi of text and screen elements to 120 dpi You can choose a custom setting of up to 500 percent magnification, or 480 dpi, in the Custom DPI Setting dialog box

You can choose a magnification of up to 200 percent from the lists, or choose a greater magnification by dragging the ruler from left to right.

Adapting Exercise Steps

The screen images shown in the exercises in this book were captured at a screen lution of 1024 × 768, at 100% magnification, and with the default text size (96 dpi)

reso-If any of your settings are different, the ribbon on your screen might not look the same

as the one shown in the book For example, you might see more or fewer buttons in each of the groups, the buttons you see might be represented by larger or smaller icons than those shown, or the group might be represented by a button that you click to display the group’s commands

When we instruct you to give a command from the ribbon in an exercise, we do it in this format:

● On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click the Chart button.

If the command is in a list, we give the instruction in this format:

● On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Breaks button and then, in the list, click Page.

The first time we instruct you to click a specific button in each exercise, we display

an image of the button in the page margin to the left of the exercise step

If differences between your display settings and ours cause a button on your screen to not appear as shown in the book, you can easily adapt the steps to locate the command

First, click the specified tab Then locate the specified group If a group has been collapsed into a group list or group button, click the list or button to display the group’s commands

Finally, look for a button that features the same icon in a larger or smaller size than that shown in the book If necessary, point to buttons in the group to display their names in ScreenTips

If you prefer not to have to adapt the steps, set up your screen to match ours while you read and work through the exercises in the book

● Detailed table of contents Scane the listing of the topics and sidebars within

each chapter

● Chapter thumb tabs Easily locate the beginning of each chapter by looking

at the colored blocks on the odd-numbered pages

● Topic-specific running heads Within a chapter, quickly locate a topic by looking

at the running heads at the top of odd-numbered pages

● Glossary Look up the meaning of a word or the definition of a concept.

● Keyboard Shortcuts If you prefer to work from the keyboard rather than with

a mouse, find all the shortcuts in one place

● Detailed index Look up specific tasks and features in the index, which has been

carefully crafted with the reader in mind

You can save time when reading this book by understanding how the Step by Step series shows exercise instructions, keys to press, buttons to click, and other information These conventions are listed in the following table.

SET UP This paragraph preceding a step-by-step exercise indicates the practice

files that you will use when working through the exercise It also indicates any requirements you should attend to or actions you should take before beginning the exercise

CLEAN UP This paragraph following a step-by-step exercise provides instructions

for saving and closing open files or programs before moving on to another topic It also suggests ways to reverse any changes you made

to your computer while working through the exercise

1 2

Blue numbered steps guide you through hands-on exercises in each topic

1 2

Black numbered steps guide you through procedures in sidebars and expository text

book or elsewhere

for fixing it

Tip This paragraph provides a helpful hint or shortcut that makes working

through a task easier

complete a procedure

Keyboard Shortcut This paragraph provides information about an available keyboard

shortcut for the preceding task

Ctrl+B A plus sign (+) between two keys means that you must press those

keys at the same time For example, “Press Ctrl+B” means that you should hold down the Ctrl key while you press the B key

Pictures of buttons appear in the margin the first time the button is used in an exercise

Black bold In exercises that begin with SET UP information, the names of program

elements, such as buttons, commands, windows, and dialog boxes,

as well as files, folders, or text that you interact with in the steps, are shown in bold black type

Blue bold In exercises that begin with SET UP information, text that you should

type is shown in bold blue type

xxiii

Using the Practice Files

Before you can complete the exercises in this book, you need to copy the book’s practice files to your computer These practice files, and other information, can be downloaded from the book’s detail page, located at:

Chapter File

Chapter 10:

Import and Export Data Customers.xlsxEmployees.txt

GardenCompany10_start.accdbProductsAndSuppliers.accdbShippers.xlsx

Chapter 11:

Make Databases User Friendly GardenCompany11_start.accdbIcon.ico

Logo.pngChapter 12:

Chapter 13:

xxv

Getting Help

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this book If you do run into problems, please contact the sources listed in the following sections

Getting Help with This Book

If your question or issue concerns the content of this book or its practice files, please first consult the book’s errata page, which can be accessed at:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=192153

This page provides information about known errors and corrections to the book If you do not find your answer on the errata page, send your question or comment to Microsoft Press Technical Support at:

mspinput@microsoft.com

Getting Help with Access 2010

If your question is about Microsoft Access 2010, and not about the content of this book, your first recourse is the Access Help system This system is a combination of tools and files stored on your computer when you installed Access and, if your computer is con-nected to the Internet, information available from the Microsoft Office Online Web site

You can find general or specific Help information in the following ways:

● To find out about an item on the screen, you can display a ScreenTip For example, to display a ScreenTip for a button, point to the button without clicking it The ScreenTip gives the button’s name, the associated keyboard shortcut if there is one, and some-times a description of what the button does when you click it

● In the Access program window, you can click the Microsoft Access Help button (a question mark in a blue circle) at the right end of the ribbon to display the Access Help window

● At the right end of the title bars of some dialog boxes is a Help button (also a question mark) that you can click to display the Access Help window Sometimes, topics related

to the functions of that dialog box are already identified in the window

To practice getting help, you can work through the following exercise.

SET UP You don’t need any practice files to complete this exercise Start Access, and then follow the steps.

1 At the right end of the ribbon, click the Microsoft Access Help button.

The Access Help window opens

Your Help window might look different from this one because the material on the Office Online Web site is constantly being updated.

Tip You can maximize the window or adjust its size by dragging the handle in the lower-right corner You can change the size of the font by clicking the Change Font Size button on the toolbar.

2 Toward the bottom of the window, below the bulleted list under Browse Access

2010 support, click see all.

Getting Help xxvii

Troubleshooting The See All link is available only if the Search option is set to one of the Content From Office.com choices If your Search option is set to one of the Content From This Computer choices, the complete list is already displayed To switch among the available Search options, click the Search arrow and then click your choice in the list.

The window changes to display a list of help topics

3 In the list of topics, click Activating Access.

Access Help displays a list of topics related to activating Microsoft Office programs

You can click any topic to display the corresponding information

4 On the toolbar, click the Show Table of Contents button, and then scroll down

the pane that appears on the left

Like the table of contents in a book, the Help table of contents is organized in sections If you’re connected to the Internet and the Search option is set to one of the Content From Office.com choices, Access displays sections, topics, and training available from the Office Online Web site as well as the Help information stored on your computer

Clicking any section (represented by a book icon) displays that section’s topics (represented by help icons).

5 In the Table of Contents pane, click a few sections and topics Then click the

Back and Forward buttons to move among the topics you have already viewed.

6 At the right end of the Table of Contents title bar, click the Close button.

7 At the top of the Access Help window, click the Search box, type relationships, and then press the Enter key

The Access Help window displays topics related to the word you typed

Next and Back buttons appear below the search term to make it easier to search for the topic you want.

Tip If you enter a term in the Search box and then click the adjacent Search arrow, you can specify the type of help you are looking for or where you want to look for it.

Getting Help xxix

8 In the results list, click the Guide to table relationships topic.

The selected topic appears in the Access Help window

9 Below the first paragraph of the topic, click Database design basics.

Access jumps to the related topic about database design This type of hyperlink is identified by blue text You might also see a Show All button that displays hidden auxiliary information available in the topic (The button changes to Hide All when the hidden information is displayed.)

Tip You can click the Print button on the toolbar to print a topic Only the displayed information is printed.

CLEAN UP Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the Access Help window.

More Information

If your question is about Access 2010 or another Microsoft software product and you cannot find the answer in the product’s Help system, please search the appropriate product solution center or the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:

1

Part 1

Simple Database

Techniques

1 Explore an Access 2010 Database 3

2 Create Databases and Simple Tables 45

3 Create Simple Forms 77

4 Display Data 101

5 Create Simple Reports 121

✔ Preview and print Access objects.

Microsoft Access 2010 is part of Microsoft Office 2010, so the basic interface—such as the Quick Access Toolbar, the ribbon, the Backstage view, and dialog boxes—should be familiar if you have used other Office 2010 programs However, Access has more dimen-sions than many of those programs, so it might seem more complex until you become familiar with it

Tip If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Access, you should review “Introducing Microsoft Access 2010” at the beginning of this book to learn about differences between earlier versions and Access 2010.

Throughout this book, you’ll be working with databases that contain information about the employees, products, suppliers, and customers of a fictional company As you com-plete the exercises in this book, you will develop an assortment of tables, forms, queries,

and reports, which are called database objects These objects can be used to enter, edit, and

manipulate the information in a database in many ways

In this chapter, you’ll explore the Access program window and learn about the concepts and structure of data storage in Access, including types of databases, types of database objects, and relationships between objects You’ll look at objects in a working database, learning about interesting features of Access as well as functionality that you’ll explore in more depth

in later chapters

Practice Files Before you can complete the exercises in this chapter, you need to copy the book’s practice files to your computer The practice file you’ll use to complete the exercises in this chapter is in the Chapter01 practice file folder A complete list of practice files is provided in “Using the Practice Files” at the beginning of this book.

Clicking the File tab displays the Backstage view, where you can manage database files and customize the program.

Working in Access 2010 5

From the New page of the Backstage view, you can create a blank database; or you can create a new database based on a template that comes with Access, on a template down-loaded from the Office.com Web site, or on a custom template saved on your computer

or on your network From the Backstage view, you can also open a database you worked

in recently, or navigate to any database on your computer and open it

When you create or open a database, it is displayed in the program window

File tab Quick Access Toolbar

Status bar

Navigation pane

An Access database in the program window

Troubleshooting The appearance of buttons and groups on the ribbon changes depending

on the width of the program window For information about changing the appearance of the ribbon to match our screen images, see “Modifying the Display of the Ribbon” at the beginning of this book.

The database interface is designed to closely reflect the way people generally work with

a database or database object For those of you who are not familiar with this interface, which was first introduced with Microsoft Office Access 2007, here is a quick survey of the program window elements:

● The title bar displays the name of the active database The designation (Access 2007)

after the database name indicates that the database is in the accdb format introduced with Access 2007 At the left end of the title bar is the Access icon, which you click

to display commands to move, size, and close the program window The Minimize, Restore Down/Maximize, and Close buttons at the right end of the title bar serve the same functions as in all Windows programs

techniques For information about ways to work with the Access program window on

a Windows 7 computer, refer to Windows 7 Step by Step, by Joan Lambert Preppernau

and Joyce Cox (Microsoft Press, 2009)

● By default, the Quick Access Toolbar appears to the right of the Access icon at the left end of the title bar, and displays the Save, Undo, and Redo buttons You can change the location of the Quick Access Toolbar and customize it to include any command that you use frequently

Tip If you create and work with complicated databases, you might achieve greater efficiency if you add the commands you use frequently to the Quick Access Toolbar and display it below the ribbon, directly above the workspace For information, see

“Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar” in Chapter 13, “Customize Access.”

● Below the title bar is the ribbon All the commands for working with your Access database content are available from this central location so that you can work efficiently with the program

● Across the top of the ribbon is a set of tabs Clicking the File tab displays the Backstage view Clicking any other tab displays a set of related commands represented by buttons and lists The Home tab is active by default

Tip Don't be alarmed if your ribbon has tabs not shown in our screens You might have installed programs that add their own tabs to the Access ribbon.

● On each tab, commands are organized into named groups Depending on your screen resolution and the size of the program window, the commands in a group might be displayed as labeled buttons, as unlabeled icons, or as one or more large buttons that you click to display the commands within the group

● Some buttons include an integrated or separate arrow If a button and its arrow are integrated, clicking the button will display options for refining the action of the button If the button and its arrow are separate, clicking the button will carry out the default action indicated by the button’s current icon You can change the default action by clicking the arrow and then clicking the action you want.

● Related but less common commands are not represented as buttons in a group

Instead they are available in a dialog box or task pane, which you display by clicking the dialog box launcher located in the lower-right corner of the group

● To the right of the ribbon tab names, below the Minimize/Maximize/Close buttons,

is the Minimize The Ribbon button Clicking this button hides the commands but leaves the tab names visible You can then click any tab name to temporarily display its commands Clicking anywhere other than the ribbon hides the commands again When the full ribbon is temporarily visible, you can click the button at its right end, shaped like a pushpin, to make the display permanent When the full ribbon is hidden, you can click the Expand The Ribbon button to permanently redisplay it

Keyboard Shortcut Press Ctrl+F1 to minimize or expand the ribbon.

● Clicking the Access Help button at the right end of the ribbon displays the Access Help window, in which you can use standard techniques to find information

Keyboard Shortcut Press F1 to display the Access Help window.

See Also For information about the Access Help system, see “Getting Help” at the beginning of this book.

● On the left side of the program window, the Navigation pane displays lists of base objects By default, it displays all the objects in the database by type of object, but you can filter the list by clicking the pane’s title bar and then clicking the cat-egory or group of objects you want to display You can collapse and expand the

data-groups in the list by clicking the chevrons in the section bars If the Navigation pane

is in your way, you can click the Shutter Bar Open/Close button in its upper-right corner to minimize it To redisplay the Navigation pane, click the Shutter Bar Open/Close button again You can drag the right border of the pane to the left

or right to make it wider or narrower

Keyboard Shortcut Press F11 to display or hide the Navigation pane.

● Across the bottom of the program window, the status bar displays information about the current database and provides access to certain program functions

You can control the contents of the status bar by right-clicking it to display the Customize Status Bar menu, on which you can click any item to display or hide it

● At the right end of the status bar, the View Shortcuts toolbar provides buttons for quickly switching the view of the active database object

The goal of all these interface features is to make working with a database as intuitive as possible Commands for tasks you perform often are readily available, and even those you might use infrequently are easy to find

In this exercise, you’ll take a tour of the command structure in the Access 2010 program window

SET UP You need the GardenCompany01_start database located in your Chapter01 practice file folder to complete this exercise, but don’t open it yet Just follow the steps.

1 On the Start menu, click All Programs, click Microsoft Office, and then click

Microsoft Access 2010.

Access starts and displays the program window in the Backstage view From this view, you manage your Access database files, but you don’t work with the content

of databases For example, you can create a database, but not a database object

We’ll talk about the tasks you can perform in the Backstage view in other chapters

Working in Access 2010 9

3 In the security warning bar, click Enable Content.

Important Be sure to read the sidebar “Enabling Macros and Other Database Content”

later in this chapter to learn about Access security options.

Let’s save the database so that you can explore it without fear of overwriting the original practice file

4 Click the File tab to display the Backstage view, click Save Database As, and then

in the Save As dialog box, save the database in your Chapter01 practice file folder

with the name GardenCompany01

Tip In this book, we assume you will save files in your practice file folders, but you can save them wherever you want When we refer to your practice file folders in the instructions, simply substitute the save location you chose.

In the program window, the title bar tells you that you can work with this database in Access 2007 as well as Access 2010 On the left, the Navigation pane displays a list of all the objects in this database Spanning the top of the window, the ribbon includes five tabs: File, Home, Create, External Data, and Database Tools The Home tab is active by default Because no database object is currently open, none of the buttons

on the Home tab are available

Tip Databases created with Access 2010 use the file storage format introduced with Access 2007, and their files have the accdb extension You can open database files created in earlier versions of Access (which have an mdb extension) in Access 2010

You can then either work with and save them in the old format or work with and save them in the new format If you convert them, you can no longer open them in versions prior to Access 2007 For more information about the ACCDB format, search for accdb

in Access Help.

5 In the Navigation pane title bar, click All Access Objects, and then under Filter

By Group in the menu, click Tables.

The Navigation pane now lists only the tables in the database

6 In the Navigation pane, under Tables, double-click Categories.

The Categories table opens on a tabbed page Because a table is displayed, two Table Tools contextual tabs (Fields and Table) appear on the ribbon These contextual tabs are displayed only when you are working with a table